FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Eric Lusby scored five goals, and Jack Runkel made a career-high 15 saves for Loyola University Maryland, and the No. 1 seeded Greyhounds defeated the Unviersity of Notre Dame, 7-5, on Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Lacrosse Semifinals.

The win moved the Greyhounds (17-1 overall) to a date in Monday’s NCAA Championship Game where it will play the University of Maryland. Monday will be Loyola’s second all-time NCAA Championship Game appearance, joining the 1990 team as Greyhound squads to make the title match. Monday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN.

“We’re excited about the opportunity,” Head Coach Charley Toomeysaid. “We’ll go back to work tonight. We just kept going week-to-week (this season) with (good) work ethic, with that same philosophy that we’re going to take care of each other.”

Lusby scored twice in the first quarter, once in the second and then tallied both Loyola goals in the third period. He also assisted on a Davis Butts goal in the second to finish with six points. He raised his season total to 50 goals, tying himself for second on Loyola’s single-season goals scored record, one behind teammate Mike Sawyer.

Sawyer and Lusby became the first pair of Loyola teammates to score 50 goals in a season.

“I’m playing confident right now,” said Lusby who had his second-straight five-goal game. “The past few games, I’ve had a pretty good shooting percentage. I see net, and I shoot for net. I don’t try to pick corners.”

Lusby got the scoring underway 3:34 into the first quarter when he took a pass from Chris Layne, drove topside from goal-line extended to score from inside five yards.

Notre Dame (13-3) tied the game with 7:57 to play in the first when Alex Eaton scored on an extra-man opportunity.

Lusby, however, put the Greyhounds back on top with 3:21 to go in the frame when he dodged and ducked two defenders, dumping a shot over the right shoulder of Notre Dame goalkeeper John Kemp.

Butts made it 3-1 in Loyola’s favor 2:01 into the second quarter when he took a Lusby pass from behind while crashing down the right side, scoring from close range.

Lusby pushed the Greyhounds’ lead to 4-1 with a nine-yard blast off a Justin Ward assist.

Notre Dame would snap a 20-plus minute scoreless stretch at 2:10 when Westy Hopkins worked his way free from a double-team and tallied his first of two in the game.

The Fighting Irish would not wait even 20 seconds for their next goal, as Liam O’Connor won the ensuing faceoff, raced into the box and fed Nicholas Beattie on the left side for a goal six seconds after Hopkins’.

Loyola looked likely to carry a 4-3 lead into the locker room until Josh Hawkins caused a Notre Dame turnover, and Joe Fletcher came up with one of his career-high seven ground balls.

Hawkins carried the ball into the box on transition and sent a high bouncer over Kemp with just 2.2 ticks left on the clock, putting Loyola up 5-3 at the break.

Notre Dame won the second half’s first faceoff – the Fighting Irish were 13-of-14 at the face-off `X’ in the game – but Runkel made a save on a Hopkins shot and sent an outlet pass over the top of the defense to J.P. Dalton.

Dalton took the ball into the top of the box where he passed to Mike Sawyeron the left side. Sawyer looked off a shot and sent a cross-field pass to Lusby on the low right crease, and Lusby shot-faked and scored 21 seconds into the frame.

Lusby made Loyola’s lead 7-3 with 11:40 left in the third, running down the alley to score his fifth of the game.

That goal, however, would be Loyola’s final of the game.

Neither the Greyhounds, nor Notre Dame would score until the Fighting Irish broke through with a Sean Rogers tally at 7:18 in the fourth quarter. Hopkins then added another goal just 50 seconds later, making it a 7-5 game.

Runkel made saves on the next two Fighting Irish possessions that quickly gave Loyola possessions.

He then tipped away a Hopkins point-blank try from inside three yards, but Notre Dame retained possession with a minute to play.

Hopkins had another attempt blocked, and then Fletcher stripped him of the ball and picked up ground ball with 16 seconds left, enabling Loyola to run out the clock.

Runkel made 11 of his 15 saves in the second half.

“I think the first save, I made was up top,” Runkel said. “It kind of got me into a rhythm. My defense was giving me shots to see a very clear line from the shooter.”

He eclipsed his previous best of 14 that came against Johns Hopkins on April 28.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Loyola University Maryland juniors Mike Sawyer and Scott Ratliff earned All-America Second and Third Team honors, respectively, from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association, becoming the first pair of Greyhounds to earn honors other than Honorable Mention in the same season since 2000.

The last time two or more Loyola players were named to teams was 2000 when Mike Battista was named to the second, Tim Goettelmann to thesecond and Gavin Prout to the third.

Seven players are the most Greyhounds to be honored in a year since seven received recognition in 1999.

Sawyer, who is also a Tewaaraton Award finalist, set aschool record last Saturday in a NCAA Quarterfinals victory over Denver with his 51st goal of the year. His goal tally surpassed Goettelmann’s 2000 total of 50.

The junior attacker from Waxhaw, N.C., has totaled 58 points and 38 ground balls, as well, this year. He is third in the NCAA in goals per game (3.0) and second in total goals.

Ratliff earned Third Team honors as a long-stick midfielder while leading the Greyhounds in ground balls (79) and caused turnovers (34)this season. A Tewaaraton Award semifinalist, he also set the school long-pole single-season scoring record, recording 12 goals and seven assists thus far.

He is the first player from the state of Georgia, hailing from Marietta, to earn All-America honors, and he follows his father, Randy, as an All-American. Randy earned honors at the University of Maryland in 1977 and 1979.

Lusby, an attacker from Severna Park, Md., earned Honorable Mention this season after returning for his fourth year of eligibility. He played in just two games last year and received a medical redshirt following a knee injury in the 2010 NCAA First Round. Lusby has led the Greyhounds in points (61) this season, scoring 45 goals to go with 16 assists. He tied his career-high with five goals in the NCAA Quarterfinals against Denver and set a career-best with seven points.

Acton, a defender from Toronto, Ontario, was one of the top inside defenders in the nation and frequently drew the matchup against opponents’ top attacker. He has 41 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers this season and also scored a 75-yard goal in the ECAC Championship Game against Fairfield. Earlier in the year, he had primary marking responsibility against Denver All-American Mark Matthews, as Acton’s fellow Canadian’s 39 games with a goal streak was snapped.

Butts, a midfielder form Walpole, Mass., used his speed and dodging ability from the midfield to create opportunities for himself and teammates. He has scored 19 goals and has 13 assists this year, and his play on the wings of faceoffs on occasion has helped him scoop up 38 ground balls.

Fletcher, a defender from Syracuse, N.Y., earned a reputation during the season as one of the nation’s top defenders in his first year as a starter. He has totaled 32 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers, and he made one of the biggest plays of the year for Loyola, knocking down a Denver shot with less than 20 seconds to play in the NCAA Quarterfinals, securing the Greyhounds’ win.

Hawkins, a defensive midfielder from Amherst, Mass., continued to be one of the finest short-sticks in the nation, rolling up 60ground balls, good for second on the team despite missing the first four games of the year with a n injury. He also scored five goals and had two assists,helping key Loyola’s potent transition game.

Loyola will continue its season on Saturday, May 26, when it makes its third appearance in the NCAA Semifinals. The Greyhounds will take on Notre Dame at 2:30 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., in a gamethat will be broadcast on ESPN2.

BALTIMORE, May 23, 2012 – The 2012 induction class for the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame has been approved by the US Lacrosse Board of Directors. This year’s eight-person class will be officially inducted in a ceremony Saturday, Oct. 20, at The Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley, Md.

The National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, a program of US Lacrosse, was established in 1957 to honor men and women who by their deeds as players, coaches, officials and/or contributors, and by the example of their lives, personify the great contribution of lacrosse to our way of life. More than 350 lacrosse greats are honored in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, which is located with the Lacrosse Museum at US Lacrosse Headquarters in Baltimore.

Brief bios for this year’s inductees follow, with more detailed career bios listed further below:

Jen Adams
Adams will be inducted as a truly great player. She enjoyed a record-setting four-year playing career at the University of Maryland from 1998-2001, during which time she earned first-team All-America honors three times and won the Tewaaraton Award as a senior. Adams was named the national player of the year and the national attacker of the year by the IWLCA three times, winning each award in 1999, 2000 and 2001. She concluded her career as Maryland’s all-time leader in goals, assists, and points, and helped lead the Terrapins to four straight NCAA national championships from 1998-2001. A native of Australia, Adams also played for the Australian national team in 2001, 2005 and 2009 and earned All-World honors twice. She is currently serving in her fourth year as head women’s lacrosse coach at Loyola University Maryland.

Roy Colsey
Colsey will be inducted as a truly great player. He was a four-time All-American at Syracuse University from 1992-1995 following a standout prep career at Yorktown (N.Y.) High School. Colsey earned first-team All-America honors in each of his last three collegiate seasons after earning third-team honors as a freshman. He received the USILA’s McLaughlin Award in 1995 as the national midfielder of the year, and also was selected for the North-South All-Star Game as a senior. He led Syracuse to the NCAA national championship in 1993 and 1995. Colsey also played nine seasons (2000-2008) professionally in Major League Lacrosse and earned all-star honors four times. He was the MLL’s Championship MVP in 2006. Colsey also was a member of the 2006 U.S. Men’s National Team.

Brian Dougherty
Dougherty will be inducted as a truly great player. He was a two-time, first-team All-American at the University of Maryland (1993-1996), earning the award in his junior and senior seasons. Dougherty was a two-time recipient of the USILA’s Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. Award as the nation’s top goalkeeper (1995, 1996) and was named the Lt. Raymond Enners Award winner as the nation’s outstanding player in 1995. In addition, he was MVP of the 1995 NCAA Championship after leading Maryland to a second place finish. Dougherty played nine professional seasons in Major League Lacrosse and was an MLL All-Star six times and the MLL’s Goalie of the Year three times. He also won two World Championships as a member of the U.S. Men’s National Team in 1998 and 2010.

Missy Foote
Foote will be inducted as a truly great coach. She completed her 31st season as head coach at Middlebury (Vt.) College in 2012, and has a career winning percentage of nearly 80 percent. Foote has guided Middlebury to the NCAA Division III national championship five times (1997, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2004) and has recorded four perfect seasons. Under her guidance, Middlebury has recorded seven conference championships and made 14 straight trips to the NCAA national semifinals from 1994-2007. She has been recognized as the IWLCA national coach of the year five times. Foote also served as an assistant coach with the U.S. Women’s Developmental Team from 2005-09, and a member of the NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Committee from 2003-06.

Kelly Amonte Hiller
Amonte Hiller will be inducted as a truly great player. Amonte Hiller was a four-time All-American at the University of Maryland, earning first-team honors in 1994, 1995 and 1996 after receiving second team honors as a freshman in 1993. She helped to lead the Terrapins to the NCAA national championship in 1995 and 1996, and was named the national defensive player of the year in 1995 and the national offensive player of the year in 1996. She was chosen as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s (ACC) Female Athlete of the Year in 1996. Amonte Hiller is a three-time member of the U.S. Women’s National Team (1997, 2001, 2005), and was selected to the All-World Team in 2005. She is currently serving in her 11th season as head women’s lacrosse coach at Northwestern University.

Jesse Hubbard
Hubbard will be inducted as a truly great player. Hubbard was a three-time All-American at Princeton (N.J.) University, earning first-team honors in 1996 and 1998 and second-team honors in 1997. He helped lead the Tigers to three straight NCAA national championships (1996, 1997, 1998) and four consecutive Ivy League titles during his career. Hubbard also earned All-Ivy League recognition three times, and was named the league’s player of the year as a sophomore in 1996 when he established a new school record with 53 goals in a season. He finished his career as Princeton’s all-time leader in goals scored (163) and second in career points (211). He was a member of the 1998 U.S. National Team that won the world championship, and played professionally for three indoor seasons and eight outdoor seasons. He was a six-time all-star in Major League Lacrosse (2001-2006) and the MLL’s leading scorer three times (2001-2003).

Tim Nelson
Nelson will be inducted as a truly great player. He was a three-time first-team All-American (1983, 1984, 1985) at Syracuse (N.Y.) University after transferring from North Carolina State University following his freshman season. In addition, Nelson was awarded the USILA’s Lt. Col. Jack Turnbull Award as the national attackman of the year three times (1983, 1984 and 1985). Syracuse won the NCAA national championship in 1983 and finished as the national runner-up during Nelson’s junior and senior seasons in 1984 and 1985. Nelson also was selected for the USILA’s North-South All-Star Game in 1985, and recognized on the NCAA’s Silver Anniversary Team in 1995.

Cindy TimchalTimchal will be inducted as a truly great coach. Timchal is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA women’s lacrosse history, with a 412-108 career record in 30 seasons as a head coach through 2012. She is the only women’s lacrosse coach to lead three different teams to the NCAA tournament, having done so previously with Northwestern University and the University of Maryland in addition to her current team, the U.S. Naval Academy. Timchal has won the NCAA national championship eight times (1992, 1995-2001) – all at Maryland – and made her 24th NCAA tournament appearance in 2012, the most all-time among coaches. She was named the IWLCA’s national coach of the year in 1999, was the ACC’s coach of the year four times (1999, 2000, 2001, and 2003) and recognized as the head coach on the NCAA’s 25th Anniversary Team in 2006.

A fuller listing of each inductees accomplishments follows below:

Jen Adams – Player
• Four-year college player at University of Maryland (1998-2001)
• First-team All-American (1999, 2000 and 2001)
• Tewaaraton Award winner (2001)
• National Player of the Year (1999, 2000, and 2001)
• National Attacker of the Year (1999, 2000, and 2001)
• Atlantic Coast Conference Champion (1999, 2000, and 2001)
• NCAA National Champion (1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001)
• Named to NCAA 25th Anniversary Team
• Maryland career leader in goals, assists, and points
• Australia Women’s National Team (2001, 2005, and 2009)
• All-World Team (2005, 2009)
• Inducted to US Lacrosse Potomac Chapter Hall of Fame (2007)

Roy Colsey – Player
• Three-year player at Yorktown (N.Y.) High School (1989-1991)
• Selected as all-county (1990 and 1991) and All-American (1990 and 1991)
• Won state championship (1989 and 1991)
• Four-time All-American at Syracuse Univ.: 1st Team (1993, 1994, 1995); 3rd Team (1992)
• Winner of USILA’s McLaughlin Award as Midfielder of the Year (1995)
• Two-time NCAA National Champion (1993 and 1995)
• Selected to North/South All-Star Game (1995)
• Played post-collegiate club lacrosse for New York AC (1997-2000)
• Played professional lacrosse for New York Saints (indoor, 2000-2001)
• Played professional lacrosse for Philadelphia Barrage (outdoor, 2001-2008)
• Selected as NLL All-Pro: First Team (2001); Second Team (2000)
• Selected as MLL All-Pro: First Team (2006) and four-time MLL All-Star
• Named MVP of MLL Championship Game (2006)
• Member of U.S. Men’s National Team (2006)
• Inducted to US Lacrosse Hudson Valley Chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame (2001)

Brian Dougherty – Player
• Four-year player at Episcopal (Pa.) Academy (1989-1992)
• Named all-state (1990, 1991, 1992) and All-American (1991, 1992)
• Won state championship (1991)
• Two-time All-American at the University of Maryland: First Team (1995 and 1996)
• Winner of USILA’s Ensign C. Markland Kelly Award as Goalie of the Year (1995, 1996)
• Named to All-ACC Team (1995 and 1996)
• Named Outstanding Player in NCAA Tournament (1995)
• Selected to USILA’s North/South All-Star Game (1996)
• Selected to ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team
• Played post-collegiate club for Chesapeake (1997-2000) and Team Toyota
• Played professional lacrosse for Rochester Rattlers (outdoor, 2001-2002)
• Played professional lacrosse for Long Island Lizards (outdoor, 2003-2004, 2009); MLL Champions (2003)
• Played professional lacrosse for Philadelphia Barrage (outdoor, 2005-2008)
• Selected as MLL All-Star six times (2001-2004, 2006, 2008)
• Named MLL Goalie of the Year three times (2003, 2006, 2007)
• Member of the U.S. Men’s National Team (1998 and 2010)
• Inducted to US Lacrosse Philadelphia/Eastern Pa. Chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame (2010)

Missy Foote – Coach
• Head Coach at Middlebury College (1979-1983, 1987 to present)
• Cumulative record of 376-101-1 (79%) through the end of the 2012 season.
• Five-time NCAA Division III National Champion (1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2004)
• Five-time National Coach of the Year (1994, 1997, 2000, 2001, and 2002)
• Five-time conference Coach of the Year (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005)
• Coached Middlebury to four perfect seasons (1999, 2001, 2002, and 2004)
• Led Middlebury to 14 straight trips to NCAA semifinals (1994-2007)
• Seven-time NESCAC Champions
• Assistant Coach for U.S. Women’s Developmental Team (2005-2009)
• Served on NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Committee (2003-2006)
• Served on Tewaaraton Committee (2001-2005)
• Inducted to US Lacrosse Vermont Chapter Hall of Fame (2002)
• Inducted to US Lacrosse New England Chapter Hall of Fame (2003)
• Inducted to Springfield College Hall of Fame (2004)
• Inducted to Ward Melville High School Hall of Fame (2002)

Kelly Amonte Hiller – Player
• Four-year player at Thayer (Mass.) Academy
• Three-time high school All-American (1990, 1991, and 1992)
• Four-year player at the University of Maryland (1993-1996)
• Four-time college All-American: First Team (1994, 1995, 1996); Second Team (1993)
• National defensive player of the year (1995)
• National offensive player of the year (1996)
• ACC Female Athlete of the Year (1996)
• Two-time NCAA National Champion (1995, 1996)
• Selected twice to All-NCAA Tournament Team (1994, 1995)
• Three-time member of the U.S. Women’s National Team (1997, 2001, and 2005)
• Named to All-World Team (2005)
• Inducted to US Lacrosse New England Chapter Hall of Fame (2006)
• Inducted to University of Maryland Hall of Fame (2009)

Jesse Hubbard – Player
• Four-year player at St. Alban’s (D.C.) School (1991-1994)
• Named All-Metro twice (1993 and 1994) and All-American once (1994)
• Selected as The Washington Post’s Player of the Year (1994)
• Three-time college All-American at Princeton: 1st Team (1996, 1998); 2nd Team (1997)
• Three-time NCAA National Champion (1996, 1997, and 1998)
• Named to All-NCAA Tournament Team three times (1996, 1997, and 1998)
• Named to All-Ivy League Team three times (1996, 1997, and 1998)
• Named Ivy League Player of the Year (1996)
• Won four Ivy League championships (1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998)
• Finished as Princeton’s all-time leader in career goals; goals in a season (1996)
• Played post-collegiate club for Capital Lacrosse Club (1999)
• Played indoor professional lacrosse for three seasons (1999-2002)
• Played outdoor professional lacrosse for eight seasons ( 2001-2008)
• Six-time MLL All-Star (2001-2006)
• Leading goal scorer in MLL three times (2001-2003)
• Member of the U.S. Men’s National Team (1998)
• Inducted to US Lacrosse Potomac Chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame (2008)

Tim Nelson – Player
• Four-year player at Yorktown (N.Y.) High School (1978-1981)
• Named All-County (1979, 1980, and 1981) and All-American (1980 and 1981)
• Won three section championships (1978, 1980, and 1981)
• Four-year college player at North Carolina State (1982) and Syracuse (1983-1985)
• Three-time first-team All-American: (1983, 1984, and 1985)
• Three-time winner of USILA’s Turnbull Award as Attackman of the Year (1983, 1984, 1985)
• Won NCAA National Championship (1983)
• Finished as NCAA Championship runner-up (1984 and 1985)
• Served as Syracuse team captain (1985)
• Selected to USILA’s North/South All-Star Game (1985)
• Named to NCAA’s Silver Anniversary Team (1995)
• Inducted to US Lacrosse Hudson Valley Chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame (1994)

Cindy Timchal – Coach
• Assistant Coach at University of Pennsylvania (1980)
• Head Coach at Northwestern University (1982-1990) – 76 wins, 40 losses
• Head Coach at University of Maryland (1991-2006) – 260 wins, 46 losses
• Head Coach of U.S Naval Academy club team (2007)
• Head Coach of U.S. Naval Academy varsity team (2008-2012) – 76 wins, 22 losses
• Cumulative varsity record through the end of the 2012 season: 412 wins, 108 losses (79%)
• Winner of eight NCAA National Championships (1992, 1995-2001)
• Named National Coach of the Year (1999)
• Named IWCLA South Region Coach of the Year (2000)
• Named ACC Coach of the Year (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003)
• Named to NCAA’s 25th Anniversary Team as Head Coach (2006)
• Head Coach of U.S. Developmental Team (1997-1998)
• Inducted to US Lacrosse Philadelphia/Eastern Pa. Chapter Hall of Fame (2002)
• Inducted to US Lacrosse Potomac Chapter Hall of Fame (2006)
• Inducted to Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame – Delaware County Chapter (2009)

This is a video of Baltimore Ravens LB Ray Lewis speaking to the Loyola University Maryland lacrosse team three days before their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal showdown with the University of Denver. The Greyhounds topped the Pioneers 10-9 to advance to the Final Four for the first time in over a decade.

This city has all but build an identity around this man for nearly two decades. I almost hope it never ends.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Eric Lusby scored five goals and had a career-high seven points, and J.P. Dalton won 17-of-22 faceoffs, as the top-seeded Loyola University Maryland men’s lacrosse team defeated the University of Denver, 10-9, on Saturday afternoon to advance to next weekend’s NCAA Semifinals for the first time since 1998.

Lusby’s five goals tied his career-best, and he added two assists. Dalton dominated at the faceoff ‘X’, winning 77.2-percent of restarts against a team that had won 67.8-percent against the Greyhounds in two previous meetings this season.

The Greyhounds (16-1) will play the winner of No. 4 seed Notre Dame and No. 5 seed Virginia on Saturday, May 26, in the NCAA Semifinals at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.

“What a day for the Greyhounds,” Head Coach Charley Toomey said. “I’m just so pround of these guys. It’s hard for me not to get emotional because this team has worked so hard for so long together through good times and bad this spring.”

Loyola will make its third trip to the NCAA Semifinals, joining the teams from 1990 and 1998 that also played on Championship Weekend. Toomey was the starting goalkeeper and team co-captain of the 1990 team that lost in the NCAA title game to Syracuse.

Lusby scored the second of two Loyola goals, the first was an unassisted tally from Mike Sawyer who wrapped around the crease on the right side and beat Denver goalkeeper Ryan LaPlante with a low-to-low shot at 10:30. Lusby then scored on an extra-man opportunity at 9:01, taking a Sean O’Sullivan and converting on a shot from the high right side.

Denver (9-7), however, would battle back and tie the game by the end of the first quarter. Mark Matthews found himself in space and scored from eight yards out with 2:20 left in the first, and he added a second goal at the end of a Jeremy Noble transition run with just six ticks left on the clock to tie the game at 2-2 heading to the second.

Noble put Denver briefly in front, 3-2, with a goal at 8:46, putting Loyola at a disadvantage on the scoreboard for the first time in over 201 minutes of game action, dating back to the regular-season finale against Johns Hopkins on April 28.

Loyola was not down for long, however, as Scott Ratliff passed it to Eric Lusby on the right side, and Lusby drew a double team. Lusby then got the ball right back to Ratliff who scored after using a shot fake,tying the game at 3-3 with 7:21 to play before halftime.

Kevin Ryan then scored just his second career goal – the first also came against Denver in the ECAC Semifinal – on a man-up possession. Ryan took a Brian Schultz feed near the crease and dumped an over the shoulder shot into the goal to put the Greyhounds in front at 6:27.

The Pioneers rallied with a Cameron Flint goal at 5:05, and then Lusby struck twice in a row to close the second quarter.

Both times, he scored off Justin Ward assists, the first coming from eight yards out on the right side, and the second with 1:09 left in the period after Ward fed him on the crease.

During the second quarter, as Loyola outscored Denver, 4-2, Dalton won all seven faceoffs.

“I would give a lot of credit to (Volunteer Assistant) Coach (Steve) Vaikness,” Toomey said of the faceoff success. “He spends countless hours with (J.P.) watching film. We know what we’ve got coming in off the wings. (Ratliff, Josh Hawkins, Kevin Moriarty and Davis Butts) are very athletic and are ground ball hawks. J.P. answered the bell today for us; J.P. was a beast.”

Chris Layne put Loyola up three, 7-4, 1:53 into the second half when he beat his man from behind and scored after getting topside. Denver, however, scored two in a row, as Wes Berg fed a pass from behind to Flint who scored on a Pioneers extra-man, and Berg then buried an off-balance shot from five yards out to pull Denver within a goal, 7-6, with 10:21 left in the third.

Lusby again tallied back-to-back goals to re-extend the Greyhounds’ advantage to three, 9-6. The first came when he cut to the middle and caught a Butts pass and scored from seven yards out. He then used a Schultz feed from behind to score an extra-man goal at 2:06.

“We see (Lusby’s shooting) every day,” Toomey said. “We know what we have on the corners, whether it’s Mike Sawyer or Eric Lusby. I think Eric would be the first one to tell you he was the recipient of Mike getting shut off. (Eric) shoots the ball with such velocity, but the one thing that we see is that he is so unselfish with the ball. When people are getting to his hands, he’s creating other opportunities.”

Schultz had his first career multi-point game with twoassists, a career-high.

The Greyhounds extended their lead to a game-high four goals 4:31 into the final quarter when Lusby flipped the ball to Butts 15 yards from the crease, took two defenders with him and allowed Butts to run free down the right alley. Butts then converted a jump-shot to make it 10-6 Loyola at 10:29.

With his two assists, Lusby was involved in seven of Loyola’s 10 goals on Saturday.

Denver scored the next three goals, one by Matthews, asecond from Noble and the third an unassisted Berg goal with 2:43 left in regulation.

Hawkins, who tied for game-high honors with six groundballs, came away from the faceoff after Berg’s goal with the ball, but Denver took back possession after a Loyola turnover at 1:47.

Berg appeared to have an open lane on the right side, but Loyola goalkeeper Jack Runkel stuffed the shot with one of his 11 saves on the day.

The Greyhounds cleared the ball, but a Butts shot was blocked, and Denver got the loose ball to set up one final transition opportunity.

Flint came free near the top of the box, and he took a shot from 10 yards out, but Loyola defender Joe Fletcher knocked it out of the air, and Ratliff picked up the ground ball and ran out the clock.

Loyola outshot the Pioneers, 48-31, and the Greyhounds had a 32-25 advantage in ground balls. Hawkins had six, while Ratliff and Runkel had five and four, respectively. Dalton picked up three, as well.

Loyola University Maryland travels to nearby Annapolis, Md., and Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for the NCAA Quarterfinals on Saturday, May 19, 2012.

The top-seeded Greyhounds will face fellow ECAC Lacrosse League member University of Denver for the third time this season at 2:30 p.m.

On The Tube And Web

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 with Eamon McAnaney and Quint Kessenich calling the action. Paul Carcaterra will be the sideline analyst.

The action can also be seen worldwide on ESPN3, the broadband arm of the ESPN, and on the WatchESPN app on mobile devices.

Series History

Loyola and Denver will meet for the fifth time in series history and third time this season when the teams take the field Saturday. The Greyhounds and Pioneers have met during the regular-season in each of the last three seasons and then earlier this month in an ECAC Semifinal. The series is tied 2-2 through the first four meetings.

Denver won the first two meetings, 12-4 at Invesco Field in 2010 and 12-8 last year at Ridley Athletic Complex.

This season, Loyola used a 5-1 run to close the game, overcoming an 8-7 third-quarter deficit on April 14 in Denver to beat the Pioneers, 12-9.

The teams met again with Loyola as the No. 1 seed, and Denver the fourth, in the ECAC Semifinals on May 2, again in Denver. Loyola opened up a 13-6 lead with 13:14 left in regulation before the Pioneers scored seven-straight to tie the game at 13-13 with 3:30 remaining on the clock. Scott Ratliff picked up the ground ball to start overtime, and he scored eight seconds later, lifting Loyola to the ECAC title game.

NCAA Championships History

Loyola is making its 20th all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships, 18th at the Division I level. The Greyhounds are 9-19 all-time in Championships play, 9-17 at the Division I level.

The Greyhounds are making their 13th NCAA Quarterfinals appearance and the first since 2001. They are 2-10 in Quarterfinal games with their last victory in the round coming in 1998 against Georgetown in a 12-11 decision.

NCAA Rematches

Saturday will be the first time in Loyola men’s lacrosse history (since 1938) that the Greyhounds will have played the same team three times in the same season.

A rematch with a regular-season opponent in the NCAA Championships is not unusual for Loyola. It will be the 12th time that the Greyhounds have faced a team in the NCAAs that they played earlier in the year. Including a game in the 1979 Division II-III Tournament, Loyola is 2-9 in those games. The last time it happened, Duke defeated the Greyhounds, 12-7, in the 2008 First Round.

This Season Against Denver

Loyola has featured balanced scoring in its two games against Denver with 13 players tallying goals in the two games and eight scoring two or more. Mike Sawyer and Eric Lusby lead the way with four goals each, while Scott Ratliff has three. Davis Butts, Pat Byrnes, Sean O’Sullivan, Phil Dobson and Nikko Pontrello each have scored two against the Pioneers this year. Justin Ward is tops on Loyola with four assists in the two games.

Top Spot

Loyola entered the NCAA Championships as the No. 1 seed for the third time in school history. The Greyhounds were also the top seed in 1998 when they defeated Georgetown, 12-11, in the Quarterfinals to move on to the Final Four for the second time in school history. There, the Greyhounds lost, 19-8, to Maryland. They were then the No. 1 seed in 1999 when they fell in the Quarterfinals to Syracuse, 17-12.

School Record In Wins

Loyola’s victory over Canisius in the NCAA Championships First Round was its 15th of the season, setting a school record for victories in a year. The Greyhounds eclipsed the previous best of 13 that the 1998 squad achieved with a 13-2 record.

This is Loyola’s 15th season all-time with 10 or more wins with 12 coming since the Greyhounds joined Division I in 1982.

In The Polls

Loyola moved up to No. 2 in both the USILA Coaches and Inside Lacrosse Media Polls following their ECAC Championship. The Greyhounds were ranked No. 1 for two weeks before losing their only game of the season on April 28 to Johns Hopkins.

The Greyhounds finished the regular-season with the No. 1 RPI in the NCAA, as well.

Denver entered the NCAAs 13th in both versions.

Second-Half Run

Loyola used 13 unanswered goals to break open a 4-3 halftime lead against Canisius last Saturday in a 17-5 victory over the Golden Griffins in the NCAA Championships First Round.

The Greyhounds took a 4-0 lead in the first quarter before Canisius scored three unanswered in the second. Mike Sawyer corralled a rebound of an Eric Lusby shot off the pipe and scored 1:20 into the second quarter to start the run. During the stretch, Sawyer scored all five of his goals, and Lusby had two of his three.

The run was the second longest in the brief, three-year history of Ridley Athletic Complex. Only a 14-0 run to start the game on March 20, 2010, against Air Force had more goals.

Sawyer Ties Single-Season Record

Mike Sawyer scored five times in the game against Canisius – his fourth game in 2012 with five or more goals – raising his season total to 50 goals to match the 2000 school record set by Tim Goettelmann. Goettelmann went on to become Major League Lacrosse’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Earlier this season, against Hobart, he became the first Loyola player to reach 40 goals in a season since Tim Goettelmann and Gavin Prout scored 50 and 41, respectively, in 2000. They are the only three Loyola players to top 40 this century.

In the ECAC Semifinal against Denver, Sawyer pushed his season point total to 50, a number that is now at 53, making him the first Greyhound to reach 50 in a season since Prout had 58 (37g, 21a) in 2001. It is the fourth time this century that a Loyola player has scored 50 or more points in a season. Goettelmann (65) and Prout (53) both reached the mark in 2000, and Prout did it again the following season. Sawyer’s teammate, Eric Lusby, has since joined him with more than 50 points (more later).

Two Over 40/50

Mike Sawyer (50g, 58p) and Eric Lusby (40g, 54p) became the first set of Loyola teammates to score 40 goals and 50 points in a season since Tim Goettelmann (50, 65) and Gavin Prout (41, 53) accomplished the feat in 2000.

They are one of only two duos in the nation this year – Robert Morris’ Kiel Matisz (40, 64) and Jake Hayes (42, 61) are the other – to post 40 and 50.

A Lot Of Everything

The adage that a player does a little bit of everything does not necessarily apply to long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff. The Loyola junior does a lot, as he leads the team in ground balls (74) and caused turnovers (34), is tied for sixth in goals (11) and is seventh in assists (7).

A Tewaaraton Award nominee earlier in the year, Ratliff was named the Most Outstanding Player of the ECAC Championships after scoring three goals, one a game-winner, and recording two assists and 16 ground balls.

He had two goals, including the winner just eight seconds into overtime, and an assist versus Denver while picking up a career-high nine ground balls.

Ratliff, who was also an All-ECAC First Team honoree and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, then scored twice in the first quarter against Canisius to go along with six ground balls and three faceoff wins in the game.

Ratliff’s Scoring

Scott Ratliff had his third multi-goal game of the season in the NCAA First Round against Canisius, raising his season totals to 11 goals and seven assists.

With his game-opening goal against the Golden Griffins, he set the Loyola single-season record for long-pole scoring, surpassing the record of 16 points set by current assistant coach Matt Dwan his senior season in 1995 when he tallied 11 goals and five assists and earned All-America honors.

Ratliff and Dwan are now tied for the lead with 11 goals each.

Ratliff is second nationally this season in goals and points by a long pole, and his seven assists are tops in the country. Bryant’s Mason Poli leads all long poles this year with 19 goals and 24 points.

The Hardware Department

In the span of seven days, three teams in Loyola’s Department of Athletics advanced to their respective NCAA Championships by winning titles in three different conferences.

The men’s golf team started the trend with its fifth-straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference crown on April 29, and the men’s lacrosse team followed by taking the ECAC title on May 4. The women’s lacrosse team completed the trifecta on May 5 when it defeated then-No. 2 Syracuse to win its second-straight BIG EAST Championship. Also, in March, Loyola’s men’s basketball team won its first MAAC title in 18 years and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994.

Sawyer Named One Of Five Tewaaraton Finalists

Mike Sawyer was named one of five Tewaaraton Award finalists on Thursday, joining Colgate A Peter Baum, Duke LSM C.J. Costabile, Massachusetts A Will Manny and Virginia A Steele Stanwick.

Sawyer is the first Loyola men’s player to be named a finalist, and he is also the first player from to hail the State of North Carolina to be so honored. He was one of three Greyhounds on the Tewaaraton Watch List where he was joined by Eric Lusby and Scott Ratliff, and Ratliff was a fellow semifinalist. The Award, which is given annually to the top player in college lacrosse, will be presented on May 31 at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Midfield Scoring

Loyola’s first midfield line of Davis Butts (18g, 30p), Sean O’Sullivan (16, 26) and Chris Layne (10, 20) has combined for 44 goals and 32 assists this season, whiel the second midfield unit of Pat Byrnes (9, 7), J.P. Dalton (9, 4) and Phil Dobson (7, 2) has added 25 and 13. Additionally, Nikko Pontrello has started to mix in with the second midfield, allowing Loyola’s attackers the opportunity to invert, and he has four goals and six assists.

Balanced Scoring In ECAC Championships

Loyola traveled to Denver for the 2012 ECAC Lacrosse League Championships and left the Mile-High City with a 97-pound trophy (no, really). The Greyhounds, who earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament and finished the regular-season 6-0 in the league, beat host and No. 4 seed Denver, 14-13, in overtime to advance to the final. There, Loyola topped Fairfield, 14-7.

Fifteen different Greyhounds scored goals in the two games with 11 tallying goals in the semifinal and 10 in the title game. Mike Sawyer led the team with four goals in the two games, a trio coming in the final, while Eric Lusby, Chris Layne and Scott Ratliff each had three.

Justin Ward led the Greyhounds with eight total points, dishing out three assists in the semifinal and three along with two goals in the championship.

Two players scored their first collegiate goals in the games, one in each contest. Kevin Ryan tallied a first-quarter goal on a man-up possession against Denver, and Brian Schultz recorded his first in the fourth quarter versus Fairfield.

Sawyer, Lusby Form Rare Tandem

Graduate student Eric Lusby and junior Mike Sawyer have formed the top attack tandem in the ECAC Lacrosse League this year and one of the most balanced in the nation. The duo has combined for 90 goals in 16 games this season, an average of 5.625 per game.

Sawyer has scored 50 goals, and his 3.13 goals per game average is third-best in Division I. Lusby, meanwhile is right behind with 40 goals and a 2.5 goals per game mark, a number that is tied for 14th in the country. Loyola is one of two schools to have two players in the top 14 of goals per game nationally (Robert Morris).

The Greyhounds have not had two players score 40 or more goals in the same season since 2000 when Tim Goettelmann set the school single-season record with 50, and Gavin Prout tallied 41. As a side note, the Goettelmann-Prout duo has gone on to highly successful professional careers. Goettelman recently retired from Major League Lacrosse as the league’s all-time leading scorer with 268 goals in 11 seasons. Prout has been an MLL Champion and has scored 314 National Lacrosse League goals to go with 625 assists as a multiple-time all-star.

Spreading Out The Scoring Wealth

Loyola’s first 11 goals against Denver in the ECAC Semifinal night were scored by 11 different players. Eric Lusby, Phil Dobson and Scott Ratliff finished the game with two goals, and eight others had one.

All three members of the Greyhounds’ first midfield – Davis Butts, Chris Layne and Sean O’Sullivan – scored goals. They received four goals from the four players who make up the second midfield line – Dobson (2), Pat Byrnes and Nikko Pontrello (J.P. Dalton did not score). Extra-man attackman Kevin Ryan scored, and two of the team’s three attackmen – Mike Sawyer and Lusby (2) – recorded goals. Ratliff scored twice in transition, and short-stick defensive midfielder Josh Hawkins added one. The Greyhounds’ other attack player, Justin Ward, did not score but had a game-high three assists.

In the title game, 10 different players scored for Loyola with all three attackers scoring and two of three from the first midfield like tallying goals.

Twelve In A Row Ties Mark

Loyola’s 12-straight to start the season tied the school record for consecutive victories, matching the number put up by the 1998 (March 14-May 17) and 1999 (March 6-May 8).

It also matched the best start to a season, equaling the 1999 team that finished the regular-season unblemished at 12-0.

Ratliff Named ECAC Defender Of The Year

Junior long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff was named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, marking the second time in four years a Greyhounds’ long pole has received the award. P.T. Ricci earned the honor in 2009, as well.

Ratliff leads the ECAC with 34 caused turnovers (2.13 per game) and is sixth nationally in that category, and he is tops on the Greyhounds with 74 ground balls (4.5 per contest).

The native of Marietta, Ga., also has scored nine goals and has seven assists this year, keying the Greyhounds’ transition game on many occasions. He earned ECAC Co-Specialist of the Week twice during the year and was the Defensive Player of the Week early in the season.

Toomey Tabbed ECAC Coach Of The Year

Loyola Head Coach Charley Toomey was named the ECAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his seven-year career. This season, Toomey has guided the Greyhounds to a 15-1 mark during the regular-season and the ECAC regular-season crown with a 6-0 mark in conference play.

The Greyhounds became the second team in USILA Coaches Poll history to start a season unranked and ascend to the No. 1 spot in the rankings. The only other team was Duke in 2007 – a year after the Blue Devils had their season suspended in March – which accomplished the feat after being unranked in the first poll, moving to second in the next version and first in the third. Duke was knocked from its perch as No. 1 that season when it lost to the Greyhounds at the First Four in San Diego.

Five Loyola players earned All-ECAC Lacrosse League honors form the conference’s coaches. Long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff earned a spot as a defender on the First Team, where he was joined by Mike Sawyer on attack and Davis Butts in the midfield.

Sawyer led the ECAC during the regular-season, and is now third nationally, in goals (50) and goals per game (3.13). Butts has scored 18 goals and assisted on 12 from the Greyhounds first midfield line while also regularly playing a role on the wings during face-offs with 36 ground balls.

Attack Eric Lusby and defender Joe Fletcher were tabbed to the All-ECAC Second Team. Lusby is second on the team and is 14th nationally with 40 goals (2.5 per game), and he also has 14 assists this season. Fletcher came on as one of the top lock-down defenders around, earning Midseason All-American honors from Inside Lacrosse last month. He has 30 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers entering the NCAA Quarterfinals.

Big Runs

Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its 6 games, helping the Greyhounds to wins each time. In all, Loyola has scored three or more in a row on 32 occasions this season.

Loyola scored the first four goals of the ECAC Semifinal game against Denver and then tallied three-straight after the Pioneers pulled within 4-2. The Greyhounds then reeled off five in a row during the third quarter to take a 13-6 lead.

In the ECAC title game, Loyola used an 8-1 run that was comprised of runs of 3-0 and 5-0 to take control of the game.

On The Flip Side

Conversely, the Greyhounds have allowed a run of three or more goals just 10 times this year, with the most recent coming when Canisius scored three in the second quarter. Only Denver (seven), Johns Hopkins (five), Fairfield (five), Air Force (four) have scored more than three in a row this year.

Following six of the nine opponent runs of three or more, Loyola has answered in kind with a run of 4-0 or better.

On The EMO

This season, the Greyhounds are ranked second in the nation in man-up offense, scoring 50-percent of the time. Only Lehigh (.553) has a better mark this year.

The last time Loyola finished at or above .500 in man-up offense was in 1997 when it converted 39-of-77 (.506).

Second-Half Success

The Greyhounds have now outscored opponents 60-20 in the third quarters of games and 113-56 overall this year in the second half (including overtime).

The second-half scoring continues a trend from the last two seasons. Last year, Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56 two years ago.

BALTIMORE – The Loyola University Maryland men’s and women’s lacrosse teams gathered Thursday afternoon to celebrate a special commencement ceremony since they will miss Saturday’s school-wide festivities to play in their respective NCAA Championships.

Nine student-athletes – five from the men’s team and four from the women’s – received their Loyola diplomas from University President Rev. Brian Linnane and other members of the Loyola faculty and administration.

“This is one of the most special events we have the privilege of celebrating at Loyola,” said Jim Paquette, Loyola’s Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics. “Our student-athletes see this as another way to stay together as a class, advancing far enough into the NCAA Championships so they graduate in a special way as a team. The graduates and their families get to celebrate the event in a small, intimate setting that has a true family and team atmosphere.”

Kip Fulks, Chief Operating Officer of Under Armour and a former lacrosse All-American at the University of Maryland, delivered the commencement address.

Also honored at the ceremony were three seniors who are members of Loyola’s golf team: Ryan McCarthy, Patrick McCormick and Jay Mulieri. The trio is currently leading the Greyhounds at the NCAA Regional in Athens, Ga., and will not attend graduation ceremonies on Saturday.

Both teams will be in action Saturday as their classmates are graduating from the school. The women, who are the No. 6 seed in their Championships, will play at No. 3 Maryland in a 12 noon game in College Park, Md., and the top-seeded men will take on the University of Denver in Annapolis, Md.

BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland senior goalkeeper Kerry Stoothoff made a point-blank save on a shot by the University of Pennsylvania’s Meredith Cain with just under 20 seconds to play, and Hannah Schmitt scored the game-winner with 3.2 seconds left in overtime to lift the sixth-seeded Greyhounds to a 10-9 victory in the NCAA Championships First Round on Sunday afternoon at Ridley Athletic Complex.

Loyola (14-5) will face the University of Maryland in the NCAA Quarterfinals next weekend in College Park, Md. It will be the Greyhounds’ second-straight trip to the Quarters.

Penn (9-8) took an 8-7 lead with 4:32 left in regulation when Caroline Bunting scored to break a scoreless stretch of nearly 13 minutes for both teams, but Sydney Thomas responded for Loyola 50 seconds later, scoring on a low-to-low bounce shot as she curled around the right side of the crease.

The Quakers struck first in overtime, as Cain scored with 21 ticks left in the first three minutes of the extra frame.

Loyola evened it up, however, when Kara Burke was fouled with less than three seconds remaining in the first part of overtime, and she converted on a free-position shot with 0.3 ticks left on the scoreboard.

The teams switched sided of the field, and Penn won the draw to start the second three minutes, and the Quakers held the ball in their end of the field to run as much time off the clock as possible.

Cain came down the right alley and caught a pass from behind, but Stoothoff turned away her attempt, her game-high 10th save of the game.

Kellye Gallagher, the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the year who had five ground balls and five caused turnovers to lead all players, picked up the ground ball and was fouled by a Penn player.

Loyola cleared the ball to its offensive end, and Thomas raced to the goal before passing to Schmitt who was crashing from the right side. Schmitt shot low and past Penn’s Emily Leitner for the game-winner.

Marlee Paton led all players with four goals for Loyola, and Burke had three goals. Sydney Thomas posted a goal and two assists, while Annie Thomas had a goal and three helpers.

Bunting had three goals for the Quakers, and Cain and Erin Brennan each tallied two.

BALTIMORE – Top-seeded Loyola University Maryland scored 13-straight goals to start the second half, and the Greyhounds rolled to a 17-5 victory over visiting Canisius College in the NCAA Championships First Round on Saturday afternoon at Ridley Athletic Complex.

The Greyhounds (15-1) will play the winner of North Carolina-Denver on Saturday, May 19, in the NCAA Quarterfinals in Annapolis, Md.

Loyola led 4-0 at the end of the first quarter, but Canisius scored three unanswered in the second, pulling within a goal with 2:48 left in the first quarter on Jimmy Haney’s second goal in six minutes.

Mike Sawyer, however, scored the first of his game-high five goals 3:15 into the second half, sparking a 13-0 run that would see Loyola hold the Golden Griffins (6-8) scoreless until there were just under six minutesleft in the game.

‘”I want to give our guys a lot of credit for coming out in that second half with a sense of urgency,” Head Coach Charley Toomey said. “I think you’re going to need that in every quarter of this tournament. We hadCanisius take it to us for one quarter, but I think we’ll be ready going forward.”

Sawyer’s five goals lifted his season total to 50, tying the school single-season record by matching the 2000 total by Tim Goettelmann.

Eric Lusby also had five points, scoring three goals and assisting, while Justin Ward had a goal and two assists. Scott Ratliff scored twice, both in the first quarter, and had six ground balls.

Ratliff scored the game’s first goal off a Ward assist after Dylan Grimm caused a turnover, and the Greyhounds cleared the ball to theiroffensive zone.

Loyola tallied another transition goal at 9:59 to play when Pat Laconi fired a pass to Lusby on the right side of the crease, and Lusby got his first of the game. Ratliff tallied his second 53 ticks of the clock later when he picked up a ground ball and went end-to-end to score and make Loyola’s lead 3-0.

Davis Butts then scored Loyola’s first settled goal of the game, dodging past a defender to score at 6:11.

The Golden Griffins, however, bounced back in the second quarter as they dominated possession and the scoring. Canisius won all fourfaceoffs in the frame, and Travis Gibbons scored at 13:01, and Jimmy Haney added a pair at 8:23 and 2:48 to close the gap to 4-3 at halftime.

Sawyer, however, scored 3:15 into the second half to begin the 13-0 run. Eric Lusby took a shot that was saved by Sean Callahan, but the ball bounced high in front of the crease, and Sawyer reached up for the ground ball and shot it past Callahan in one motion.

Just over four minutes later, he added his second of the game on a Nikko Pontrello assist, and Chris Layne caught a Lusby feed at 4:09, scoring to make Loyola’s lead 7-3.

Sawyer added his third on a Ward assist 20 seconds later, and Lusby scored when Pat Byrnes found him open on the right side at 1:05 to put Loyola ahead 9-3 at the end of the thir quarter.

Sawyer scored 80 ticks into the final frame when he played give-and-go with Sean O’Sullivan and scored from 10 yards out.

Ward then found himself scoring on an empty net at 12:31, and Lusby tallied his third of the game 40 seconds later. Sawyer scored with 11 minutes to play, making the lead 10, 13-3.

Butts tallied his second of the game at 9:07, and Will Fredericks scored on a Josh Hawkins assist to cap a transition run at 7:23.Tyler Foley then used a Fredericks feed to score his first career goal at 6:29.

Loyola used a 47-22 advantage in shots, and a 39-30 lead in ground balls. Canisius had a 15-12 lead in the category at the half, but the Greyhounds used a 10-8 advantage in the third and 17-7 in the fourth quarters.

In addition to Ratliff’s six, he also had three faceoff wins and two caused turnovers. He broke the Loyola season record for long-pole scoring, notching his 17th and 18th points of the year to top the 1995 mark of 16 points set by current Loyola assistant coach Matt Dwan.

Josh Hawkins had a season-best seven ground balls, and he also caused two turnovers. Grimm and Laconi each had two caused turnovers, as well.

Loyola University Maryland will host a NCAA Championships First Round game on Saturday, May 12, 2012, as the top seed in the 2012 Championships. The Greyhounds welcome Canisius College to Ridley Athletic Complex for a 5 o’clock game.

The winner of the Loyola-Canisius game will meet the winner of North Carolina and Denver on Saturday, May 19, 2012, in Annapolis, Md.

On The Tube And Web

The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU with Mike Corey and Mark Dixon calling the action.

The action can also be seen worldwide on ESPN3, the broadband arm of the ESPN.

Series History

Loyola and Canisius will meet for the first time in men’s lacrosse when they take the field on Saturday, however, the schools are very familiar with one another.

Canisius hails from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, which is the primary conference for Loyola’s athletic teams other than men’s and women’s lacrosse.

NCAA Championships History

Loyola is making its 20th all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships, 18th at the Division I level. The Greyhounds are 8-19 all-time, 8-17 in Division I Championships games.

The Greyhounds’ last appearance in the Championships came in 2010 when they lost, 11-10, in triple overtime at Cornell.

Loyola last hosted an NCAA game in 2000 when Notre Dame defeated the Greyhounds, 15-12, on what was then known as Curley Field (now Diane Geppi-Aikens Field). Loyola’s last playoff win was a 12-11 triumph over Georgetown in 1998 that sent the team to the Final Four where it eventually bowed out to Maryland.

Top Spot

Loyola enters the NCAA Championships as the No. 1 seed for the third time in school history. The Greyhounds were also the top seed in 1998 when they defeated Georgetown, 12-11, in the Quarterfinals to move on to the Final Four for the second time in school history. There, the Greyhounds lost, 19-8, to Maryland. They were then the No. 1 seed in 1999 when they fell in the Quarterfinals to Syracuse, 17-12.

School Record In Wins

Loyola’s victory over Fairfield in the ECAC Championship Game was its 14th of the season, setting a school record for victories in a year. The Greyhounds eclipsed the previous best of 13 that the 1998 squad achieved with a 13-2 record.

This is Loyola’s 15th season all-time with 10 or more wins with 12 coming since the Greyhounds joined Division I in 1982.

In The Polls

Loyola moved up to No. 2 in both the USILA Coaches and Inside Lacrosse Media Polls following their ECAC Championship. The Greyhounds were ranked No. 1 for two weeks before losing their only game of the season on April 28 to Johns Hopkins.

The Greyhounds finished the regular-season with the No. 1 RPI in the NCAA, as well.

Canisius is not ranked in the media version and receiving votes in the coaches poll.

The Hardware Department

In the span of seven days, three teams in Loyola’s Department of Athletics advanced to their respective NCAA Championships by winning titles in three different conferences.

The men’s golf team started the trend with its fifth-straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference crown on April 29, and the men’s lacrosse team followed by taking the ECAC title on May 4. The women’s lacrosse team completed the trifecta on May 5 when it defeated then-No. 2 Syracuse to win its second-straight BIG EAST Championship.

Balanced Scoring In ECAC Championships

Loyola traveled to Denver for the 2012 ECAC Lacrosse League Championships and left the Mile-High City with a 97-pound trophy (no, really). The Greyhounds, who earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament and finished the regular-season 6-0 in the league, beat host and No. 4 seed Denver, 14-13, in overtime to advance to the final. There, Loyola topped Fairfield, 14-7.

Fifteen different Greyhounds scored goals in the two games with 11 tallying goals in the semifinal and 10 in the title game. Mike Sawyer led the team with four goals in the two games, a trio coming in the final, while Eric Lusby, Chris Layne and Scott Ratliff each had three.

Justin Ward led the Greyhounds with eight total points, dishing out three assists in the semifinal and three along with two goals in the championship.

Two players scored their first collegiate goals in the games, one in each contest. Kevin Ryan tallied a first-quarter goal on a man-up possession against Denver, and Brian Schultz recorded his first in the fourth quarter versus Fairfield.

A Lot Of Everything

The adage that a player does a little bit of everything does not necessarily apply to long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff. The Loyola junior does a lot, as he leads the team in ground balls (68) and caused turnovers (32), is tied for sixth in goals (9) and is seventh in assists (7).

A Tewaaraton Award semifinalist, Ratliff was named the Most Outstanding Player of the ECAC Championships after scoring three goals, one a game-winner, and recording two assists and 16 ground balls.

He had two goals, including the winner just eight seconds into overtime, and an assist versus Denver while picking up a career-high nine ground balls.

From Way Downtown

Reid Acton created his own SportsCenter highlight in the ECAC Championship Game, earning Friday night’s Top Play on ESPN. After goalkeeper Jack Runkel made a save on Fairfield’s Marshall Johnson with less than 10 seconds to play.

Runkel passed it to Acton on his right side, Acton took a step forward and launched the ball 75 yards to the other side of the field. It settled over the stick of Stags goalkeeper Charlie Cipriano to put the Greyhounds up 5-3 with one tick left on the first-quarter clock.

Acton’s goal started a 8-1 Loyola run that spanned three quarters and put the game out of reach. The goal was the second of Acton’s career – he also scored against Mount St. Mary’s last season – and Runkel was credited with his first career assist.

50 Points, 40 Goals

Mike Sawyer scored four goals on April 21 at Hobart to reach the 40-goal mark in 13 games, and he current sits at 45 after tallying his 10th hat trick of the season in the ECAC Championship Game against Fairfield. Against Hobart, he became the first Loyola player to reach 40 goals in a season since Tim Goettelmann and Gavin Prout scored 50 and 41, respectively, in 2000.

His one goal in the ECAC Semifinal versus Denver pushed his season point total to 50, a number that is now at 53, making him the first Greyhound to reach 50 in a season since Prout had 58 (37 g, 21a) in 2001. It is the fourth time this century that a Loyola player has scored 50 or more points in a season. Goettelmann (65) and Prout (53) both reached the mark in 2000, and Prout did it again the following season. With his next point, Sawyer’s teammate Eric Lusby will record his 50th of the season.

In addition to being just the third Loyola player to score 40-plus this century, Sawyer is the seventh Greyhound to reach the mark since Loyola moved to NCAA Division I status in 1982.

Sawyer, Lusby Form Rare Tandem

Graduate student Eric Lusby and junior Mike Sawyer have formed the top attack tandem in the ECAC Lacrosse League this year and one of the most balanced in the nation. The duo has combined for 82 goals in 15 games this season, an average of 5.5 per game.

Sawyer has scored 45 goals, and his 3.0 goals per game average is third-best in Division I. Lusby, meanwhile is right behind with 37 goals and a 2.47 goals per game mark, a number that is tied for 16th in the country. Loyola is one of two schools to have two players in the top 16 of goals per game nationally.

The Greyhounds have not had two players score 37 or more goals in the same season since 2000 when Tim Goettelmann set the school single-season record with 50, and Gavin Prout tallied 41. As a side note, the Goettelmann-Prout duo has gone on to highly successful professional careers. Goettelman recently retired from Major League Lacrosse as the league’s all-time leading scorer with 268 goals in 11 seasons. Prout has been an MLL Champion and has scored 314 National Lacrosse League goals to go with 625 assists as a multiple-time all-star.

With Lusby’s next point, the duo will also be the first tandem to score 50 or more points in a season since Goettelmann and Prout in 2000.

Ratliff’s Scoring

Scott Ratliff had his second multi-goal game of the season in the ECAC Semifinal Game against Denver, and he tallied a goal and an assist in the title game, raising his season totals to nine goals and seven assists.

With his second-quarter assist against Fairfield, he tied the Loyola single-season record for long-pole scoring, matching the record of 16 points set by current assistant coach Matt Dwan his senior season in 1995 when he tallied 11 goals and five assists and earned All-America honors.

Ratliff, a Tewaaraton Award semifinalist along with teammate Mike Sawyer, is second nationally this season in goals and points by a long pole, and his seven assists are tops in the country. Bryant’s Mason Poli leads all long poles this year with 19 goals and 24 points.

Spreading Out The Scoring Wealth

Loyola’s first 11 goals on Wednesday night were scored by 11 different players. Eric Lusby, Phil Dobson and Scott Ratliff finished the game with two goals, and eight others had one.

All three members of the Greyhounds’ first midfield – Davis Butts, Chris Layne and Sean O’Sullivan – scored goals. They received four goals from the four players who make up the second midfield line – Dobson (2), Pat Byrnes and Nikko Pontrello (J.P. Dalton did not score). Extra-man attackman Kevin Ryan scored, and two of the team’s three attackmen – Mike Sawyer and Lusby (2) – recorded goals. Ratliff scored twice in transition, and short-stick defensive midfielder Josh Hawkins added one. The Greyhounds’ other attack player, Justin Ward, did not score but had a game-high three assists.

In the title game, 10 different players scored for Loyola with all three attackers scoring and two of three from the first midfield like tallying goals.

Scoring From Different Places

Kevin Ryan scored his first career goal on Wednesday night, taking a Justin Ward pass form behind the crease and one-timing a shot into the net. Ryan did not play as a freshman in 2011 but has seen action in 12 games this year from the midfield and on extra-man possessions.

Nikko Pontrello added his third goal of the season and second versus the Pioneers. He also had the game-tying goal in the third quarter of the regular-season match-up that started Loyola’s 5-1 run to close the victory.

Phil Dobson recorded his second career multi-goal game, both coming against top-flight competition. He recorded a pair earlier this season against ACC Champ Duke.

Josh Hawkins added a man-up goal after Mike Sawyer caused a turnover and Justin Ward picked up the ground ball and fed Hawkins. The goal was Hawkins’ fifth of the year, and he also had his first assist of the season on a first-quarter Scott Ratliff goal.

Twelve In A Row Ties Mark

Loyola’s 12-straight to start the season tied the school record for consecutive victories, matching the number put up by the 1998 (March 14-May 17) and 1999 (March 6-May 8).

It also matched the best start to a season, equaling the 1999 team that finished the regular-season unblemished at 12-0.

Back-To-Back OTs

It took Loyola 30 years of NCAA Division I play (the Greyhounds moved into the division in 1982) to play back-to-back overtime games, but now it has experienced the pleasure twice in two years.

Last year, Loyola defeated Fairfield, 7-6, in overtime on April 9, and it then won 6-5 in four extra periods at Georgetown on April 17, marking the first time it had played back-to-back overtime games since joining Division I.

The Greyhounds have now played two-straight overtime games, losing on April 28 at home to Johns Hopkins and defeating Denver five days later.

Ratliff Named ECAC Defender Of The Year

Junior long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff was named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, marking the second time in four years a Greyhounds’ long pole has received the award. P.T. Ricci earned the honor in 2009, as well.

Ratliff leads the ECAC with 32 caused turnovers (2.13 per game) and is eighth nationally in that category, and he is tops on the Greyhounds with 68 ground balls (4.5 per contest).

The native of Marietta, Ga., also has scored nine goals and has seven assists this year, keying the Greyhounds’ transition game on many occasions. He earned ECAC Co-Specialist of the Week twice during the year and was the Defensive Player of the Week early in the season.

Toomey Tabbed ECAC Coach Of The Year

Loyola Head Coach Charley Toomey was named the ECAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his seven-year career. This season, Toomey guided the Greyhounds to a 14-1 mark during the regular-season and the ECAC regular-season crown with a 6-0 mark in conference play.

The Greyhounds became the second team in USILA Coaches Poll history to start a season unranked and ascend to the No. 1 spot in the rankings. The only other team was Duke in 2007 – a year after the Blue Devils had their season suspended in March – which accomplished the feat after being unranked in the first poll, moving to second in the next version and first in the third. Duke was knocked from its perch as No. 1 that season when it lost to the Greyhounds at the First Four in San Diego.

Five Loyola players earned All-ECAC Lacrosse League honors form the conference’s coaches last Monday. Long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff earned a spot as a defender on the First Team, where he was joined by Mike Sawyer on attack and Davis Butts in the midfield.

Sawyer led the ECAC during the regular-season, and is now third nationally, in goals (45) and goals per game (3.0). Butts has scored 16 goals and assisted on 12 from the Greyhounds first midfield line while also regularly playing a role on the wings during face-offs with 36 ground balls.

Attack Eric Lusby and defender Joe Fletcher were tabbed to the All-ECAC Second Team. Lusby is second on the team and is 16th nationally with 37 goals (2.47 per game), and he also has 12 assists this season. Fletcher came on as one of the top lock-down defenders around, earning Midseason All-American honors from Inside Lacrosse last month. He has 28 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers entering the NCAA Tournament.

Ratliff, Sawyer Named Tewaaraton Semifinalists

Juniors Scott Ratliff and Mike Sawyer were named to the Tewaaraton Award semifinal list as the game’s top players, making Loyola one of five schools – joining Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Massachusetts and Virginia – to have two players make the 25-man list.

Loyola is also one of six schools to have at least one male and one female semifinalist, as sophomore Marlee Paton made the women’s list from Loyola. The winners of both awards will be selected on May 31, 2012, in Washington, D.C.

Big Runs

Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its 15 games, helping the Greyhounds to wins each time. In all, Loyola has scored three or more in a row on 30 occasions this season.

Loyola used four three-goal runs against Duke, including one three-goal streak that put Loyola up 4-1 at the beginning of the second quarter. The Greyhounds never trailed after that initial three-goal run and extended their lead to 13-5 after its fourth three-goal spurt of the game.

The Greyhounds had their longest run in almost two years against Air Force, scoring 10 in a row to open the second half. The last time Loyola scored 10 or more in a row was on March 20, 2010, when it had 14 straight against Air Force.

At Fairfield, Loyola scored the final four goals of the game to rally from a 6-4 deficit to win 8-6. The Greyhounds then scored four in a row during the third and fourth quarters at Denver that brought them from down 8-7 to a 12-9 victory.

Versus Johns Hopkins, the Greyhounds scored four in a row, holding the Blue Jays scoreless for the last 14:13 of regulation, to tie the game at 9-9, sending it to overtime.

Loyola scored the first four goals of the ECAC Semifinal game against Denver and then tallied three-straight after the Pioneers pulled within 4-2. The Greyhounds then reeled off five in a row during the third quarter to take a 13-6 lead.

In the ECAC title game, Loyola used an 8-1 run that was comprised of runs of 3-0 and 5-0 to take control of the game.

On The Flip Side

Conversely, the Greyhounds have allowed a run of three or more goals just nine times this year, with the most recent coming when Denver scored three on two occasions. Only Denver (seven), Johns Hopkins (five), Fairfield (five), Air Force (four) have scored more than three in a row this year.

Following six of the nine opponent runs of three or more, Loyola has answered in kind with a run of 4-0 or better.

On The EMO

This season, the Greyhounds are ranked second in the nation in man-up offense, scoring 50-percent of the time. Only Lehigh (.553) has a better mark this year.

The last time Loyola finished at or above .500 in man-up offense was in 1997 when it converted 39-of-77 (.506).

Second-Half Success

The Greyhounds have now outscored opponents 55-20 in the third quarters of games and 100-54 overall this year in the second half (including overtime).

The second-half scoring continues a trend from the last two seasons. Last year, Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56 two years ago.

Record At Ridley

After going 4-1 at Ridley Athletic Complex last season, the Greyhounds opened this season with six in a row at home before falling to Johns Hopkins. Loyola is now 14-4 all-time at Ridley.